


Through the Sky

by Welfycat



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: angst_bingo, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-08
Updated: 2011-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-14 13:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welfycat/pseuds/Welfycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evan Lorne isn't really sure how to handle David's nightmares. Ep-tag for Doppelganger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Angst Bingo; Prompt: Falling

David's breathing had been slowly increasing for five minutes before Evan rolled over, his knees bumping into David almost immediately. It wasn't unusual for David to creep closer in the night, pressing against Evan for warmth in his sleep until they were both squished up against the wall. But neither of them had even fallen asleep yet, even though they'd been laying there quietly for nearly an hour.

"You okay?" Evan whispered. His hand managed to find David's in the dark, fumbling down David's arm until he found David's fingers and held them tightly in his own.

The pillow dipped as David shook his head rapidly, his breathing getting faster for a moment. David gave in and gasped for air before regaining control, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Evan moved so that he was sitting, still holding one of David's hands and resting his free hand on David's chest. "You're alright. Just remember what the doc said; slow and easy breaths."

David shook his head again and gasped once again as he fought the panic that was making his hand tremble in Evan's grasp.

Sleepless nights were part of what you signed up for when you joined the Stargate program, or at least that's how Evan saw it. Especially in the Pegasus galaxy, where people would walk through the halls at night, looking out the windows to see if the Wraith had found them yet, or wandering up by the 'Gate room to make sure the shield was still in place and the night shift was standing guard. And that was beyond the nightmares that made the mess hall a popular location at three in the morning; people seeking to either try and relax enough to get back to sleep or trying to drink enough caffeine so they didn't have to sleep.

"Evan," David managed to say as he fought for air.

"I'm here, what do you need?" Evan asked, rubbing David's chest and griping his hand tighter.

David shook his head, more frantically this time. "I'm falling, I'm falling," was all he could say.

"You're not. You haven't moved," Evan pressed down on David's chest. "See, I'm right here, right above you."

Sleepless night had increased tenfold for Evan after the nightmare crystal thing had came, and it wasn't just because of David. He hadn't sleepwalked for years and years, let alone manage to almost hurt someone because of it. The first couple of nights after they solved the problem with the crystal, he had used his gene to lock his door as hard as he could, telling the city to not let him out unless he was absolutely awake. He had also made David sleep in his own quarters, not wanting to hurt him incase he managed to find a gun in his sleep again. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake; he should have just locked his gun somewhere and had Atlantis not let him have it.

Evan hadn't been the only one who had been losing sleep since the nightmare crystals, he'd seen Colonel Sheppard and his team slouched in the mess hall most mornings far earlier than they would have been awake otherwise, and the dark circles he'd seen under the eyes of some of the marines indicated they hadn't been spared either. But right now, his fear of sleepwalking wasn't keeping him awake.

"I'm falling," David said again, and even in the dark Evan could see that David's eyes were wide and terrified as he stared up at the ceiling.

David's fears were unique, he wasn't afraid that the Wraith were coming, not anymore than anyone else was afraid, and even his fear of falling was different. David wasn't afraid of falling down, as he had managed to haltingly explain to Evan during the second night that this had happened. David was afraid of falling up and up, until he tumbled right through the sky and into space. It wasn't a fear that Evan could really understand, but he could see the terror in David's eyes, and David's heart racing under his hand and knew that the fear was real enough.

"Evan, please," David took big gulps of air as he rocked against Evan's hand, his muscles straining.

"I've got you," Evan said again. He thought for a moment and started moving under the blankets.

David whimpered when Evan eased up on the pressure he was putting on David's chest in order to move.

"It's okay," Evan paused and reached down to grab David's upper arms as he started to struggle.

"No, no!" David's shout felt like it echoed off the walls, ringing in Evan's ears.

David's shoulders spasmed underneath Evan as he fought to keep David still. Evan found himself biting his lower lip, hating himself a little as he used his weight advantage and combat training to effectively trap David beneath him. He pinned David's wrists down against his chest and let his weight rest down onto David. David's shoulders were still fighting to rise up off the bed and Evan released one of David's wrists in order to reach up and press his forearm just beneath David's shoulders.

Evan waited as the fight slowly drained out of David until he was laying limply beneath him, his head tipped back as he panted for air underneath Evan's weight. He dropped his head down onto David's chest and listened as his heart slowed down. David started to shiver, his legs spasming against Evan's.

"Better?" Evan asked after everything was back to normal except the tremors that shook through David.

"Yeah," David shifted a little bit under Evan.

"Want me off?" Evan almost didn't bother asking, as David had never wanted him to move after one of his episodes, even though Evan was sure his weight must be almost suffocating on David's taller and more slender frame.

"No, please," David's voice hitched a little as he tried to shrink further under Evan.

Evan moved his arms so that he wasn't almost choking David and tucked them around his arms instead. He dropped his forehead back down on David's chest and shifted slightly so that David's hip bone wasn't digging into his side. There were so many reasons not to sleep at night in the Pegasus galaxy, and Evan supposed that having to fight to keep his partner safe from falling into the sky was as good as any other.


End file.
